This invention relates generally to apparatus and method for pressing the collar and cuffs of a long sleeve shirt and more particularly to a machine capable of pressing the cuffs of a sleeve and the pleated area of the sleeve just above the cuff during the same pressing operation.
The sleeve of a standard long sleeve shirt is manufactured with a pleat just above the cuff on the outside edge of the shirt while wearing it. This pleat is present due to the fact that the sleeve diameter is larger than the cuff diameter causing the gathering of the material, hence the pleat. Traditionally, the collar and cuffs of the shirt are pressed in a single operation by a machine including a lower buck assembly constituting an essentially arched collar buck and an arched cuff buck at each end of the collar buck and an upper head assembly having collar and cuff pressing surfaces configured to mate with the lower buck surfaces to press a collar and cuffs of a shirt resting thereon. Typical of such machines is the ALC8 machine manufactured and sold by Hoffman/New Yorker, Inc., the assignee of this invention.
In traditional machines such as the ALC8 machine the collar and two cuffs of a shirt are pressed at the same time. The shirt is loaded on the machine, first by placing the collar on the central buck with the inside of the shirt facing up. Next the cuffs of the shirt are placed on the cuff bucks with the outside of the cuff facing up. The upper pressing head is then closed to press the shirt to the desired look. The pleat formed on the sleeve just above the cuff on the outside edge of the shirt is not pressed during this initial operation. When the shirt is removed from the press, the pleat is pressed by a secondary operation separate from the machine and is normally performed on an ironing board with a hand iron.
It certainly is desirable to be able to press the pleats on the sleeve during the same collar/cuff pressing operation, and thereby eliminate the separate manual pleat pressing operation. One proposal for accomplishing this is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,918. The upper and lower cuff pressing chests illustrated in that patent are of special configuration and include integral forward protruding portions for pressing the pleats simultaneously with pressing the cuffs themselves. The upper and lower chests also include a cut out portion for providing clearance for the unpleated portion of the sleeve. While the configuration illustrated in the ""918 patent provides some benefits, it also suffers some disadvantages. For example, the special configuration of the upper and lower chests in deviating from the standard design used in the past, adds to the cost of the machine. Furthermore, during the pressing operation the cuff of the shirt has to be manually held on the lower cuff buck or chest while the pleated portion of the shirt is aligned on the protruding section of the chest and while the unpleated portion of the shirt is gathered at the cutout portion of the chest. This is necessary because as the upper chest is closed upon the lower chest, the cuff and pleats of the shirt are simultaneously pressed and there is no opportunity to realign the pleats if necessary. Thus, the step of placing the cuff and pleats on the lower chest can be awkward and can result in improper alignment in pressing the pleats.
Accordingly, the need for an efficient, reliable, economical machine for pressing the cuffs and pleated portion of a shirt sleeve during the same pressing operation remains, and the invention as described hereinafter has been developed to satisfy that need and to serve as an improvement over systems such as that illustrated in the ""918 patent.
Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is to provide a novel shirt collar/cuff pressing machine which includes means for pressing the pleat on the shirt sleeve just above the cuff during the same collar/cuff pressing operation.
Another object of the invention is to provide the above novel machine wherein the main collar and cuff pressing heads and pressing bucks are essentially the same as those used in prior standard machines such as the ALC8 machine and wherein separate pleat pressing heads and bucks are provided to press the pleats of the sleeves during the same pressing operation.
Another object of the invention is to provide the above novel machine wherein the pleat pressing heads are operated independently of the main pressing heads of the machine.
The above objectives are accomplished by providing each cuff pressing head and buck with a separate auxiliary pleat pressing head and buck, respectively, which are independently actuatable to press the pleat area of a shirt sleeve located just above the cuff of the sleeve. The pleat pressing buck is mounted adjacent to and extends forwardly from each main cuff pressing buck and a pleat pressing head is connected to and extends forwardly from each main cuff pressing head so as to be positioned above and below the pleat pressing area of the shirt sleeve when the main head is closed upon the cuff positioned upon the main buck. Each pleat pressing head is extended through a pressing stroke by a pneumatic non-rotating air cylinder which the press operator energizes separately from the main pressing heads.
Operation of the novel machine of this invention is as follows. A shirt is loaded on the machine first by placing the collar of the shirt on the collar pressing buck with the inside of the shirt facing up. Next, each cuff of the shirt is placed on its respective cuff pressing buck with the outside of the cuff facing up. In this position the pleats on the shirt sleeves will be positioned inwardly of the cuff bucks adjacent the main collar buck. With the collar and cuffs properly loaded on the collar and cuff bucks, the operator hits start buttons to close the main head down upon the main buck to lock the collar and cuffs of the shirt in place for pressing between the main heads and the main bucks. At this time the separate pleat pressing heads remain spaced from the pleats of the shirt so that the shirt can be dressed, that is, arranged to properly align the pleats, simply by pulling on the shirt sleeves. The cuffs themselves are being held in place by the main head and main buck and will not pull away from the machine. Thus, the operator has both hands available to quickly and properly align the pleats. When the desired dressed look of the pleats is obtained the operator energizes a foot operated air pedal to close the auxiliary pleat pressing heads towards the pleat pressing bucks and thus press the pleat area of the shirt sleeves positioned between the pleat heads and pleat bucks. Steam is then supplied to the main and auxiliary heads and bucks and the novel machine will then press the shirt to the desired look and when completed the pleat heads will retract and the main head will open.
It is apparent that applicant""s novel method of operation eliminates the need to press the pleats by way of a secondary operation such as by using an iron and traditional ironing board. Furthermore, the provision of the separate pleat pressing heads and bucks which are not operated until the cuffs themselves are being held by the main head and bucks enables the operator to more quickly and more reliably dress the shirt, that is, align the pleats prior to the pleat pressing operation. In addition, if the operator does not want to press the pleats, the pleat pressing heads and bucks may be deactivated and the machine can be used in a conventional manner.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from reading the following detailed description of the invention wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings.